1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for network storage and playback of digital media, and more specifically to systems and methods for network storage and playback of digital media received from non-network sources.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Non-network digital media are currently received from three main sources: Over-The-Air (OTA) digital signals, signals from a satellite media provider, and media provided through a cable television connection. Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) such as TiVo include storage for digital media whereby the user can store a program received through the non-network course for future playback.
DVRs include the aforementioned storage (typically a USB or SATA attached hard drive) and may also include transcoding capability to enable streaming through a home computer network as the media received through the non-network sources are not configured for streaming through the home network. Including transcoding capabilities in the DVR increases the cost of the DVR and also increases power consumption.
Cloud storage (i.e. storage of digital files in a remote location accessible through the internet) is becoming increasingly common. However, as non-network media may be protected by copyrights and also may not be made available to users in certain areas (such as sports blackout locations), simple storage of media in the cloud and downloading does not address issues with limiting program availability to certain users.